PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Lafayette men's basketball traveled to St. Joseph's on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Hawks, 67-57, in overtime.
Guards Cooper Kesler (23) and Beckett Currie (18) combined for 41 points. Kesler shot 8-of-15 from the field, counting four of his seven attempts from three. The Idaho Falls, Idaho native added two rebounds, an assist and a steal. Currie did most of his work from deep, draining three triples and a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. Freshman forward Jasraj Gill pulled down a career-high 12 boards, while denying three shots.
Lafayette came out of the gate firing, collecting a 11-9 advantage within the first five minutes (15:33). Three of the Leopards' four buckets came via the triple. Kesler converted both of his opportunities beyond the arc, while Beckett Currie knocked down his first three-point attempt.
The Hawks returned out of the timeout aggressive, attacking the rim and taking a two-point lead (18-16). Four different players scored for the hosts, with Khaafiq Myer's four points leading the offense (11:58).
Both squads played stifling defense, as seven points were allowed over the following four minutes (7:39). Lafayette scored four of them, with Kesler and Shareef Jackson adding buckets.
With 5:00 left in the first half, Myers netted the layup for a 26-20 lead. Immediately after, Gill scored on a pull-up jumper, to inch within four (26-22). The rookie then swatted away an opponent's shot to keep the Leopards within striking distance.
Big shots down the stretch from St. Joseph's granted the Hawks a 31-24 lead at the break, the largest advantage in the game to that point. Kesler led the Leopards in scoring after the first half, with 10 points. Gill hauled in six rebounds, leading both teams at half. The Hawks were aggressive defensively, forcing 16 turnovers while committing just four.
The hosts netted the first four points of the second half, but Lafayette responded by capturing the next eight to cut St. Joseph's lead (35-32).
Two free throws from Saint Joseph's Jaiden Glover-Toscano at 12:08 ended the seven-minute scoreless streak (37-32). Another driving layup from Glover-Toscano right after pushed the lead to seven (39-32).
The hosts' BJ Ranson knocked down a three at 10:12 to increase the deficit, 42-32. Kesler and the Leopards had an answer, hitting a triple to pull closer (42-35). The guard wasn't finished, countering a Saint Joseph's layup at 8:17 with another shot from beyond the arc (44-38). Jackson helped close the gap, with a jumper that made the score 44-40 (7:42).
The score sat at 48-44 with 3:36 on the clock when Currie was fouled on a three-point shot. The guard went to the line and converted all three opportunities to make the score 48-47 in favor of the Hawks. The Leopards regained a 51-50 lead a minute and a half later, when Jackson went to the line and drained both shots.
The final minute of regulation was tense. The hosts increased their lead to 55-51 courtesy of free throws. Currie was fouled with eight seconds left, and earned two more attempts at the line. After making both free throws, head coach Mike McGarvey called a timeout to regroup (55-53). The ensuing inbounds pass was thrown in, deflecting off of a player from Saint Joseph's and granting the Leopards one more chance to knot the contest. Lafayette relied on Jackson in the post, who promptly turned around and netted the game-timing points to force overtime, 55-55.
Lafayette won the opening tip and struck first, with Owen Kelly providing a small cushion (57-55). Saint Joseph's Ranson became the hot hand, collecting four of the Hawks' 10 points in overtime to win the game, 67-57.
The Maroon and White return to College Hill on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. contest against Penn State Lehigh Valley.
For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.
